Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-22
DESTRUCTION BY CYCLONE
PORTION OF OHIO AND WEST VIR-
GINA DEVASTATED.
Business Blocks Demolished-Hou De
stroyed-Horses and Carriages Borne
or by the Gale-Forests Prostrate-
Losses Exceed 81, 100000.

WHEELING, W. Va, April l5.-The first
genuine cyclone ever witnessed in this i'm
mediate vicinity was experienced this af-
ternoon and spread devastation over a
section of country extending from st.
Clairsville, Ohio, 10 miles west to point
as far east as this city. But little damage
was done here. The storm was first felt
at st. Clairsville. A funnel-shaped mass
Of cloud resembling dense black smoke
travelled from the west with the cone
downward. Houses were demolished,
trees snapped off like pipe-stems horses
and cattle Frustrated and carried bodily
hundreds of yards by the gale and the
sky was darkened with flying debris.
The large mansion on the corner of Mar
ietta and Main streets was cut off
clean at the second floor and the walls
and roof scattered in fragments.
The First national bank block and G.
Trail 81 Sons dry goods store were almost
swept from their sites, only portion of
the lower walls being left standing. The
dwellings and business blocks of |. Pat
terson, druggist, George Jepson, grocer,
and James Patterson, dry goods, had the
upper walls and roof swept off and the
lower part of the houses badly damaged
by falling bricks and timbers. The Ma
tional Hotel, Mrs, Evans large brick resi-
dence and probably 40 other houses were
less seriously damaged.
When the funnel shaped cloud was seen
approaching the people took refuge in
their cellars and no one was killed. The
United Presbyterian church, a large brick
editice, was demolished. The loss in st.
Clairsville will reach 100000 The West
ern Union wires and poles are all down.
Horses hitched in the street were blown
about like chaff and vehicles were demol-
oh bao IN
for mile and cut as clean a hole in two
walls of a brick house as a cannon ball
would.
Martins ferry on the opposite side of the
river suffered even more severely than St.
Clairsville. Here a broad valley gave di.
recton to the gale which licked up forest
and farm houses and scattered fences in
its path down the hollow, widening out
as it struck the little city and scattering
destruction everywhere. The Elson glass
works had one Brick building blown down
on the hill. In the town proper Is or 100
houses were more or less damaged and
the loss will reach Sl65 ,0O0 Walnut grove,
fine park, has but few of the 300 lofty
trees standing. The city cemetery adjoining
was similarly unfortunate. The foundry
was partially demoralized. James Reilly's
house and saloon were blown down and
Mrs. Reilly was pulled out unconscious
from the ruins and may die. The storm
struck town without warning but the only
Otne1 casualties are james Reilly, both
legs broken Mrs. Wilholm, collar bone
broken Mark Davis of the Martin Ferry
stove works, probably fatally injured a
German lady, name unknown, dangerous
ly injured.
When the storm struck the river the
water shot up in a perpendicular wall
about 90 feet and then fell back in the
frothy seething foam and simultaneously
shower of fence boards. shingles, posts
and timbers with some large sections of
houses fell on the turbulent flood. The
river for miles is strewn with wreckage.
Fair View school house, one mile west,
was totally wrecked and Miss White, the
school teacher, was badly hurt At Bar
toms station, four miles north, a new
brick house was leveled to the ground.
At Pasco, five miles west of
the city, on the National road,
the brick house of A. Hlnkle
was demoraized and he was badly hurt.
Large tracts of wood between here and st.
Clalrsvllle have not tree uninjured,
while most of them are flat on the ground.
The cyclone surprised funeral in the
cemetery at Bridgeport and scattered the
carriages over the ombstones, swapping
some of the stones off. Every few min
utes news comes of additional damage in
the country and it is safe to say the aggre
gate loss will exceed 100000.